Connection
by DistrictThirteenTribute
Summary: Lacking a necessary connection, Jimmy and Cindy will end up finding it in a rather unexpected location. (I finally wrote the story that I've always wanted to.) A SECOND CHAPTER HAS BEEN POSTED!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Thank you for checking out this little story here. If you've read my story "The Neutron-Vortex Rules for a Mutually Beneficial Friendship" and it's currently in-progress sequel, thank you! I really appreciate the support. And now know that this story has absolutely nothing to do with those two. It totally stands on its own. So I hope that means we can all give it a chance.**

 **I'm not crazy about the summary so now that you're here I'll tell you that this is about Jimmy and Cindy never having known each other as kids and instead meeting for the very first time as young adults at college. I've always wanted to write an alternate version of how these two met, so this idea worked out perfectly.**

 **Enough of me. Enjoy!**

If there's one thing James Neutron had in common with the rest of his fellow students, it's how much he needed to get some assignments done. A slightly different factor was how much he desperately needed an electrical outlet.

It explained his presence in the campus library, somewhere he doesn't make a habit of going. If not for his dorm room which, thanks to his roommate is currently filled with rowdy campus athletes, he'd be in the physics lab. Today, it isn't an option however, as electricians are still working on getting the power back due to a blackout caused by a thunderstorm a few days ago.

That left the library, a place where, despite being a student of the sciences, he has entered only a handful of times. What's more it that it never really was his chosen place to study and he only really went it for quick research or the convenient bathroom by the main entrance when he wasn't able to hold it in anymore.

But today, that changed as he looked for a table that was not only unoccupied but also located by an outlet. His computer's battery was dying and while he was quick to grab the power cord before leaving his room, the same couldn't be said for his ability to be able to charge it.

Finally, after a seemingly endless search between columns of books and encountering various unavailable tables, he found an unused outlet close to a nearly empty set of tables. While he would have preferred as much privacy as possible, seeing how crowded the library was, regardless of proximity to an outlet, he knew that would be easier said than done.

The sole person at the large circular table was a girl with long blonde hair, looking down and writing intensely into a notebook. She was surrounded by four stacks of books with no less than three in each stack. Two other books were opened and propped up against two of the piles. A yellow highlighter lay near her notebook and a disposable cup of coffee was on the table too but he assumed it was empty due to how out of reach it was from everything else.

The best part was that on the wall behind her, open and inviting, was an outlet with both sockets free.

Still, not wanting to be rude and also not really noticing how invested the girl was in her note taking, he decided to ask if joining her at the table would be accepted.

"Uh, hi. Do you mind if I sit here?" There was a sense of immediate regret in asking when he noticed the annoyed look on her face once she looked up.

"Whatever." She hastily replied and continued to scribble away as if nothing had happened.

James, or Jimmy, as he's more commonly known, even if it is within the science department, lay his heavy backpack down on the wooden table, unzipped it, and removed his laptop and power cord. He walked the couple of steps to connect the plug to the socket and upon walking back, inserted the other end into the computer, causing the blinking warning light on the side of the machine to turn off. At ease that his computer wouldn't fail him, he opened it up and typed his password.

Apart from the familiar hum of his computer, the only other sound around was that of the girl mumbling (unsuccessfully) under her breath and rustling between pages. While it may have been distracting, there was something entertaining about it. A smile cracked onto his face and considering nothing else really could have caused it, he hoped she didn't notice. If she had, there was no sign of it.

It only took about fifteen minutes for the roles to reverse. Jimmy was now slouched in front of the computer, reading the screen intensely and the girl, previously looking like she would never get her head out of her books, now leaned back in her chair, her thumb scrolling the screen of her cell phone. Something on it made her laugh out loud, disturbing the recurring quiet.

Immediately, Jimmy glanced over.

"Sorry." She apologized. "My friend just posted something funny."

Instead of saying anything, he gave a small smile and looked at her book piles, deciding it was now safe to make a comment about them.

"That's a lot of books you got there."

"Yeah. Took long enough to get them." She replied. "My stupid computer's not working so I had to go the old fashioned way."

Curiosity, as always, got the better of him.

"What's wrong with it?"

Looking up from her phone, understandably thinking he was a little forward, she gave him a look but did not seem like she wouldn't answer.

"It hasn't been connecting to the WiFi for a few days. The IT department is working on it now but I'm not just going to sit around and wait for them to finish so…." She ended by gesturing to all that was in front of her.

"Yeah, that makes sense." He commented as he read what he could make out of the books' spines. "Poli Sci?" He gauged, regarding her major.

"How did you guess?" She laughed, noticing that he was reading the books. "You?"

"Physics."

"Ahh. Looks like we both have a hefty workload then."

At this, Jimmy would normally defend the priority of the scientific study since he's never really believed anything else is of greater importance. It is the study of the universe after all.

But seeing that it may not be the best way to make a good impression to someone he's meeting for the first time, he didn't say anything.

"Yeah. Looks like it."

With a closed lipped smile, she spoke again.

"I'm Cindy, by the way. Cynthia, but I don't really go by that." She shrugged.

"Jimmy."

"Cool. It's nice to meet you."

"You as well." A glance back at his computer indicated to her that he needed to be getting back to work and she took the signal well, looking at her phone one final time. Neither student said much else as they now both continued studying for a few minutes until the harsh vibration of Jimmy's phone against their table made the two jump in surprise.

"Sorry." He mumbled as his thumb swiped in the proper direction to accept the call. "Hi…. I'm fine… yeah…" Either forgetting or ignoring the fact that he's in a library, he made no effort to lower the volume of his voice. "I'm just getting some work done…. Yeah, I'll call tonight….Okay, love you too… bye."

Not being able to stay out of the loop, a problem she's had since childhood, Cindy addressed the conversation.

"Was that your girlfriend?" She asked, thinking of no other alternative.

Smiling and chuckling, he replied.

"My mom actually."

Cindy instantly felt like an idiot and the rising red in her cheeks showed it.

"Right. I guess that makes sense too." She replied, not really apologizing for her blunder.

"It's alright. Given my side of the conversation, I can see why you would think that." He forgave anyway. "Your boyfriend hasn't called to check up on you?" He asked even though he knew -and hoped that she too- knew what he was doing.

"I don't have a boyfriend." Cindy replied the answer that Jimmy was expecting. "And if I did, I wouldn't answer. I'm…busy." She defended, although it didn't really seem like she was talking about her schoolwork.

"Fair enough." Jimmy replied, with a growing smile.

She wasn't entirely sure why but this slight smugness of his bothered her. Normally, she wouldn't care much for that sort of person and even excuse herself from the situation if she needed to. But something about this case, not just the fact that she was studying for an upcoming test, made her stay seated.

Jimmy on the other hand, seemed to enjoy watching her get flustered and he hoped that she knew that he was really only playing around with her. But seeing as she had yet to angrily get up and walk away, which if he's being honest seems to be exactly the kind of thing someone like her would do, he decided that she can't be entirely offended.

The two of them continued on a quiet trance as each worked intently once more. Even though each of them had work vastly different than the other, their focus on it was something they had on common. Still, that's not to say their work was all they were giving attention to.

Their interest on what, or rather, who, was in front of them may be the reason why they would cautiously glance at each other when they thought the other was not looking. Even though he knew he probably shouldn't be doing it, he couldn't help but smile to himself after getting away with it a second time. As for her, the faint red in her cheeks indicated that she too was happy about not getting caught.

Amazingly, apart from each of their phones, they had gone undisturbed this whole time, particularly by fellow schoolmates. That was a custom that went on for about another fifteen minutes. The interruption ultimately came in the form of Cindy's cell phone lighting up, signaling a notification.

"Oh that's awesome." She muttered under her breath while she read what the message said. Jimmy, of course, looked up. "That was IT. My computer's ready." She explained as if she owed him that.

"That was fast."

"I brought it in yesterday morning. They did say it might been done by now." She got up out of her seat as she started closing the books and gathering her belongings.

"Is that really the time?" His gaze just left the analog clock that was a wall a few feet away from where they sat. To confirm the time, he turned on his phone screen to look. "I actually told a friend I'd meet him at that coffee shop in Rio Hall at six."

"Oh." She replied, slightly surprised and noticing the coincidence that the coffee shop he was referring to was right next to the building where the IT department is.

"D'you mind if I walk with you?" Without waiting for an answer, he got up and followed the same pattern she had of putting her things away with the addition of walking around her, getting very close, and unplugging his computer.

"N-no. That'd be fine." They both walked and headed out of the library, him holding open every door they walked through.

Normally, their destination would only be about a five-minute walk away. However, the two of them, with their slow walking and easy-going banter, seemed to extend the trip for as long as possible.

This made reaching their destinations, while inevitable, seem like a misfortune.

"So good luck with your computer. Hope it works now." He turned to her and said as they stood outside both buildings.

"Thanks." She replied. "I guess I'll…see you around?"

"Yeah. Of course." And then for a reason that the afternoon's events should have been able to explain, he smiled. "Have a good night."

"You too." She nodded, trying, and failing to hide her growing grin.

 **There's a very high chance I will not be writing a second chapter or especially make a story out of this. It's really just a cute little encounter I've always wanted to write.**

 **If you're interested in more of my writing, feel free to check out my profile or if you'd like more info on in-progress and future works, you can follow me on Twitter ( D13Tribute). Thanks for reading and leave a review if you can!**


	2. Chapter 2

**In a similar manner as it was for my story "Perfection" (which you are very welcome to check out) your awesome reviews and my curiosity to see what I could do, have inspired a second chapter. Much love and I hope you enjoy.**

On a campus with a student body of over 40,000, it seemed that the chances of two people bumping into each other by chance more than once was unlikely. However, somehow, that's exactly what happened to two students.

After meeting in the library, it did not seem possible that Jimmy Neutron and Cindy Vortex would cross paths again. But thanks to renovation of a floor in one of the university's most prominent Halls, causing all the classes taking place there to be moved to a building halfway across campus, they did.

It had been a little over two weeks since sharing a study spot. But there is no way they wouldn't be able to recognize each other when their eyes met as Cindy, along with the rest of her classmates, was waiting to enter the classroom Jimmy was currently leaving. They wound up greeting each other and exchanging friendly banter, in a way that was similar to that of when they first met and when they left the library. This resulted in Cindy being the last one to enter the classroom, despite her previous close proximity to the front of the line, and for her to have something else running through her mind apart from the day's lesson.

Likewise, Jimmy couldn't believe the good fortune he had in seeing her again. Since the day they met, Cindy has kept a regular spot in the forefront of his thoughts. He hasn't told anybody about her, since there really isn't much to tell. But the fact that he returned to the library a couple of times since that day, hoping to push his luck at seeing her again, proved that forgetting her was no easy feat.

A week later, as Cindy was paying for her beloved and much needed hot caramel latte in the Student Center before a class, Jimmy walked in with his gray, heavy-looking backpack slung over his shoulder. Despite the cashier being conveniently located by the door, they were standing at an angle that would have made it difficult to see each other. That didn't seem to count for them however, since they locked eyes almost immediately. This encounter ended more progressively than their previous two due to them finally exchanging phone numbers. That step was something Jimmy was particularly excited about since it was something he wished could have been done back when they first met.

Looking back to that encounter, Cindy surprised even herself when she so shamelessly suggested that they trade contact information, especially since there isn't a reason for them to do so. They don't have any classes together and seeing how advanced they are in the study of their field, they likely never will. They don't seem to have any mutual friends either, as that seems like something that would have come up in their brief but slightly broad conversations.

But despite the lack of incentive, getting each other's phone number just seemed like the right, and somehow, most useful move.

Due to how much Jimmy wanted to see her again and knowing that his luck of just randomly bumping into her would soon run out, he made the (indisputably informal) move of asking her out via a phone call.

Unsurprisingly, however, she accepted.

Almost a month into that stage, which alternated between nights out and walking each other to and from class, they found themselves alone in her dorm room on a Friday night. While it was somewhere they had ended up before, since Cindy had to drop off some books before they got dinner together, the circumstances this time around were a little different.

As they lay on her bed, lips crashing and breaths heavy, he pressed his body gently against hers. Jimmy kept a loose but controlled grip on her hip as her fingers ran through his dark brown hair, keeping him close. A few seconds after moving his lips to her neck, Cindy ran her hand down the front of his jeans and brushed her fingers along the present tightness.

"You sure?" He breathed into her ear.

"Yes." She moaned in reply.

At the time they went to sleep that night, they were both wrapped in Cindy's bedsheets, naked and satisfied.

With Cindy's roommate out of town for the weekend, they both knew there was no chance of them getting caught. It also made them feel safe that the following morning's acts wouldn't be awkwardly interrupted either.

After exhausting themselves out, they were left with a content feeling and a look on their face to match. For a few moments, they looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't in a symbolic way, even though they both knew there was something hanging over their heads.

Turning over to face him, she said something that she had, incredibly enough, not spoken before that point.

"I really like you, you know."

She had been having difficulty finding the right moment to tell him how she felt. Considering their recent development however, she felt now might be best.

"Yeah?" Jimmy replied as he faced her, a grin forming on his face.

"Yeah." She confirmed as a smile of her own grew. "You make me happy. You're funny and really cute. You're smart and an insanely good kisser among other things." She bit her lip as a blush rushed into her cheeks. "As cheesy as it sounds, you're kind of the whole package."

"I think you're great too Cindy." He said as he ran his knuckle along her exposed arm. "I've really enjoyed this. ALL of this, going out with you and everything." He felt the need to clarify so she wouldn't think he was only talking about their most recent activities. "You're kind of really amazing.'' He slightly paraphrased her words.

While she felt that she knew him well enough to know he was speaking honestly, she didn't just want to fully rely on that gut feeling.

Despite only knowing each other a couple of months, she felt comfortable with him. At least enough for her to allow last night's -and the next morning's- events to occur. As much she wished and thought that he felt just as strongly and secure as she did, there was a sense of uncertainty.

He _is_ a guy, and they _are_ in college.

"Look," she began, "I don't know what you're thinking about this, where it's headed or anything. But I just want you to know that I'm not seeing any other guys. I wasn't before we met, but since we started going out and stuff, I haven't been."

"Oh." He answered in a tone that didn't give much away. "I-I haven't been seeing anyone else either." A part of her hated that she didn't expect for him to say that. "And I actually have been thinking about us and where it's going and all."

"Oh." Cindy replied in a way that tried to hide how happy she was about it. "So, umm, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, for starters," he spoke, "I think it's a good sign that neither one of us are seeing other people."

"I think so too, yeah." Cindy smiled widely.

Before he continued, he reached for and took her hand, which was laying besides his on her bed.

"I like you. You like me. We're clearly very compatible in many aspects." They both laughed at the double entendre. "What do you say?" He looked at her seriously and they both knew exactly what he was trying to say. "I want us to be together Cindy. And if I'm being honest, I haven't been thinking of much else since we met. I'm in it if you are."

A resounding squeeze of her hand told her that all her worrying wasn't needed.

With a grin that she couldn't hide no matter how hard she tried, and a newly ignited confidence towards her romantic life that she never felt before, she gave her inevitable answer.

"Yes."

 **I debated if I should post this or not. I don't like putting effort into things that are never going to be looked at so that may have played a factor in it. In terms of it being an AU in** _ **this**_ **fandom, it is very different to what I've written before. I still did want to indulge in the college culture of it all, which is very interesting.**

 **But I'm happy with it. I hope you are too.**

 **Please leave me a review! I love hearing from you. (I'm pretty sure that rhymes.)**


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